Day 24, The Mountain Cloud Boys

Part 1, The Desert, Day 24

The Mountain Cloud Boys

Miles: 15

PCT Mile: 385.1

I was done with Wrightwood. All I wanted to do was get back on the trail, so when I woke up in the cabin loft at 5:30am, I showered and quickly packed. I walked to the store and bought a bagel, and as soon as I walked outside toward the highway, a man pulled up and offered me a ride. And I thought it would be a very difficult hitch. I rode in the back of the guy's truck and froze my ass off, but it was totally worth it. I was at the trail and ready to go by 9am. There was snow everywhere. Right away I saw the day's challenge, Mt Baden Powell.

I immediately got soaked from the snowmelt in the trees and would remain wet for the rest of the day. It was really fun hiking though.

I knew today would be tough because of the nearly 3000 foot elevation gain in the snow with a full resupply weight. My pack was close to 50 pounds and very full. I really need to lose some stuff. 

I had this big ass mountain to the West, and the vast desert to the East.

After a few miles I reached the parking area, which was full of cars. It was a beautiful Saturday, so there were SO many day hikers out. 

The trail went up and didn't quit for nearly 4 miles. It was hours of switchbacks in the snow and mud, and the presence of day hikers only added to the difficulty. I've been hiking so long with nobody around, and the weekenders take like dozens of breaks right in the middle of the trail, which interrupts any momentum I gain. I hope I don't sound like a snob here, it's just the way it is. 

It was such a nice morning, and the snow added a lot of excitement, since the trail was steep with a massive drop off. I'll get to that later. My legs were rested and working good, so I made it to the summit by 12:30. 

There were probably close to 100 hikers on the mountain that morning, no joke. I joined a group of thru hikers eating lunch at the top; our area looked like a bomb exploded at a homeless shelter. 

There was a monument to this Baden Powell guy, I guess he was like the first Boy Scout, the Alpha. or maybe he the last boy scout, like that old Bruce Willis film. I'm a bit fuzzy on this. 

I signed the summit register and took in the views. Normally an epic view, the snow turned it into something special.

I'm told on a clear day, you can see Los Angeles from the top, but it was all fog. I liked this view anyways. The tree below is supposed to be like 2000 years old. Or maybe it was 2 years old, again, I'm fuzzy on all this info. 

I decided to hike on as the temps dropped. Dark clouds had formed, and the cold had come. Earlier, the morning was in the 70's. Going down, the PCT went a different way that was...sketchy. A large group of hikers went down, all armed with poles and traction devices like microspikes, and I let them pass so nobody would see me slip all over the place. I walked down very, very carefully and still slipped a few times. The snow was treacherous. One slip with my heavy pack and it's a a couple thousand feet down. I made it though ( obviously). 

There was a very large group of tourist hikers in front of me stopped. It looked like a parade because they were hiking in a straight line literally inches away from each other. It was fascinating, until their leader ran toward me and explained to me that I was going the wrong way. I assured him that I was going the right way. Then he offered to take my picture: 

It was seriously awkward...

It was an uncomfortable minute as I waited for the stranger to take my pic. He grabbed my hand and shook it loosely. It felt like I was touching a piece of raw chicken. He also looked like Gollum. After bathing in hand sanitizer, things returned to being epic.

The San Gabriel mountain range is beautiful, especially with snow. I felt lucky today. 

Because I started in town, and the snow, climb, and elevation gain, I knew it would be a lower mile day, so I decided to stop at camp a few miles away. Unfortunately, my right shoulder pain flared up, and I couldn't move my arm or head without pain. It hurts, but as long as I can walk I'm fine. Who needs arms anyways. I made it to this nice spring. 

It had seats and everything. 

I filled up on this delicious water and walked into the camp, for some reason it's named, "Little Jimmy Camp." 

The camp totally sucks. It's dark, wet from the snow, and it has lots of loud weekender campers here. 

That's an outhouse behind my tent, so you can imagine the smells. At least thr Bears won't smell my food. In the last hour, about 15 thru hikers rolled in, so now this place sounds like a music festival. I wish I'd gone a few miles further. It's below 30 degrees tonight, so I'll probably freeze my nuts off.